Disney torpedoes Yellow Submarine

Robert Zemekis 3D remake of 1968 classic canned

Disney Studios has torpedoed Robert Zemekis's planned 3D remake of Yellow Submarine, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The Back to the Future and Forrest Gump helmsman planned to deploy 16 Beatles tracks and "cutting-edge motion-capture technology" in the re-imagining of the 1968 animation.

Budget issues and a canned meeting with the remaining Beatles are among the reasons cited for the sinking, but it is likely that the "disastrous box office wipeout" suffered by Zemekis's Mars Needs Moms played a major part in Disney's decision.

The film cost $150m, but took just $6.9m in its US debut. It also used motion-capture, and the Hollywood Reporter says Disney had concerns about the "creepy" depiction of human characters.

All is not yet lost for Zemekis, who apparently retreated to Montana over the weekend to "regroup" and ponder where he might yet stick his Yellow Submarine. He is free to punt the project to other studios, the Reporter notes. ®